ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Another fastival for cricket Fan’s

The another fastival for cricket fan’s is here, The International Cricket Council (ICC) sponsors the ICC Champions Trophy, a one-day international (ODI) cricket tournament. It is considered as one of the biggest worldwide cricket contests. It features the top eight rated teams and is played in a shorter format of the World Cup. And because of security concerns ICC finally agreed on hybrid model which means india will not travel to pakistan for any of its matches and all matches will be played in DUBAI.

When was it last held?
The final ICC Champions Trophy was held in 2017 in England and Wales. Pakistan won the event, defeating India in the final at The Oval on June 18, 2017.

Which teams are taking part in 2025?
The eight teams participating in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 are:

1. India
2. Pakistan 
3. Australia
4. England
5. New Zealand
6. South Africa
7. Bangladesh
8. Afghanistan

The teams are divided into two groups:

• Group A: Pakistan, India, New Zealand, Bangladesh
• Group B: Australia, England, South Africa, Afghanistan

Champions Trophy 2025 Schedule:

Playing XI for all the teams:
1. India:
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami

2. Pakistan
Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Imam-ul-Haq, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali

3. Australia
David Warner, Travis Head, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Alex Carey (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood

4. England
Jos Buttler (c, wk), Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer

5. New Zealand
Devon Conway, Finn Allen, Kane Williamson (c), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Tom Latham (wk), Michael Bracewell, Tim Southee, Matt Henry, Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult

6. South Africa
Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma (c), Rassie van der Dussen, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi

7. Bangladesh
Litton Das (wk), Tamim Iqbal, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan (c), Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud

8. Afghanistan
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq

Let’s talk about the best team among all, there’s no doubt that every team is great in its own way, with unique qualities and players that make them the best. However, if we analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the top 4 teams, here’s what we get:

• India has a strong batting lineup along with a good bowling attack. However, the middle order has sometimes been inconsistent, so it will be interesting to see how it performs in this tournament.

• England has the most aggressive batting lineup, with players who can turn the game around at any moment and shift the momentum in their favor. If they are in good form, England can quickly secure a strong position in the tournament.

• Pakistan will benefit from the home ground advantage, and they have a solid pace attack that has been performing well over the past few years. This could play a key role in their success.

• Australia the name itself is enough. Their recent performances have been outstanding, especially in major international tournaments, where they always step up. They have a strong balance in both batting and bowling, making them a strong team in this competition.